A Leeds United expert has admitted she was a little surprised when Hartlepool United appointed Simon Grayson as their new manager - but has backed the experienced boss to succeed at Victoria Park.
BBC Radio Leeds presenter Katherine Hannah is well-placed to run the rule over the new Pools boss, who has taken charge of three West Yorkshire sides - Leeds, Huddersfield and Bradford. Grayson has also worked as a summariser on BBC Radio Leeds.
The 55-year-old has an impressive managerial record in a career spanning two decades, leading Blackpool, Leeds, Huddersfield and Preston to promotion. More recently, Grayson steered Bengaluru to the Indian Super League final in 2023 and lifted the Nepalese Super League title with Lalitpur City in April.
Grayson wil need to use all his considerable experience to make a success out of his latest role. Pools have endured a challenging few months on and off the pitch and have lost ground on most of their National League rivals, while Grayson has never taken charge of a non-league side and hasn't managed in England since 2021; indeed, his last promotion was in 2015 while spells at the likes of Sunderland, Bradford and Fleetwood, as well as a second stint at Blackpool, all ended in disappointment.
Leeds United expert Katherine Hannah has backed Simon Grayson to succeed at Pools following his appointment as the club's new manager last week. Picture by Lewis Storey/Getty Images.placeholder image
Leeds United expert Katherine Hannah has backed Simon Grayson to succeed at Pools following his appointment as the club's new manager last week. Picture by Lewis Storey/Getty Images.
Nonetheless, Hannah, who was speaking to BBC Radio Tees presenter Rob Law, believes Grayson has what it takes to succeed in the North East.
"Simon Grayson is someone we know very well here in West Yorkshire because he's managed all three of our West Yorkshire Football League sides - Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Bradford City," she said.
"We do know him well, he's worked as an expert summariser here at BBC Radio Leeds. With that in mind, when I saw that he'd got the Hartlepool job, I have to say it was a little bit of an 'oh, ok, that's an interesting choice'. I keep an eye on what's going on with Pools and I know that life at Hartlepool is not always straightforward, so it takes a certain kind of manager who is going to embrace that.
"Hopefully, he can go there and make a real success of it because I know how passionate Pools fans are - they'll be desperate for success, and hopefully Simon Grayson is the man to achieve it. I can understand why the fans might have one or two reservations as to how this has come about, and is this going to be a good fit or not. I do get why there might have been a few eyebrows raised, certainly.
"Simon Grayson, as a manager, knows success. He's known success as a player, and he's known a lot of success as a manager. It's maybe not on everybody's radar, but if you look at the amount of promotions he's achieved with all sorts of different clubs - be that Blackpool, Leeds, Huddersfield, Preston - he's got a really successful managerial history.
"In terms of taking on a new challenge and something different, recent history would show he's not averse to that - he's managed in India and Nepal. Let's face it, this is a guy who is willing to try something completely out of his comfort zone. Now, going from Nepal to Hartlepool, that's quite a big leap; suffice to say it is closer to home at least. He's clearly not averse to taking on something new, he's clearly not averse to a challenge.
"I'm sure he's walking into this with his eyes wide open as to what the situation is at Hartlepool, that it comes with its own challenges. Again, he's been used to that throughout his managerial career, certainly; he's worked for some big personalities, let's go with that. He's worked with some interesting characters and has still been able to deliver success. He's got the sort of personality that he should be able to deal with that."
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